Co-ordinating by Plant Engineering and Management

The accomplishment of group goals becomes impossible if there is no harmony of individual efforts. All the functions of management are just meaningless if there is no coordination. In fact, each of the managerial function is an exercise contributing to coordination. In any organisation, individuals often interpret similar interests in different ways and their efforts towards mutual goals do not automatically match with the views and efforts of one another. It becomes the central task of the manager to reconcile differences in approach, timing, effort and interest and to compromise individual objectives to contribute to organisation goals.

Consider the following case, which can often occur in an industry.

A lathe machine has to be purchased for the production. The General Manager conducted a meeting with all the departmental heads working under him to decide the make, type and whether to buy a new one or second hand and so forth. In the meeting all managers are given a chance to speak.

• The Finance Manager proposed to procure the machine that works out to be the least in cost.
• Industrial Engineer expressed his preference to most ergonomically designed machine.
• Purchase Manager feels it is better to purchase a machine from a supplier who can offer discounts or free transport or some other advantage or benefit.
• The Accounts Manager opted to procure the machine with a supplier who can wait longer for payment of the bills owing to the prevailing weak financial position of the company.
• The Production Manager wanted the machine that can produce highest output.
• Manager of Quality Assurance Department insisted upon the process capability of the machine and hence suggested the machine that can produce best quality components with high degree of accuracy.
• The Human Resource Development Manager stressed on the machine high degree of safety.
• The Maintenance Manager asked to go with the machine with trouble free operations, good condition and which has longer life.

The General Manager has now the real task of coordinating all these people more than the planning, organising, staffing and directing. His decision must be most convincing to all the managers as the every manager's basis is right in their angle for the argument. In such situations the plant engineer can only help the general manager for achieving good coordination amongst all because maintenance is the only department nearest to all the other departments and the one who can convince all others to their satisfaction.

Similar to such cases often occurs in our daily life too. The best coordination results when individuals have a vision how their jobs contribute to the goals of an enterprise. And this is possible if the managers have clarity of understanding on the goals of the organisation as well as on their own individual goals. Otherwise, each would be driven by individual ideas and it may become a mess finally. To avoid such splintering efforts, the dominant goal of the enterprise should be clearly defined and communicated to all concerned. And obviously, the Top Management has to define the goals of subordinate departments to contribute to the goals of the enterprise. For all this often, the Plant Manager will be entrusted to coordinate to find the optimum mix of the individual goals to achieve the goal of the enterprise.

According to Mary Parker Follet, the good coordination can be achieved through the following principles.

• Early beginning (coordination is to be sought at the early stages and later it may become difficult).
• Direct contact (to avoid misleading, misunderstanding and red-tapism).
• Reciprocity (both the parties are equally responsible it is reciprocal).
• Continuity (coordination is not a one time job but is continuous process)